Cabbage soup

It's darn cold out there today and a good day to have a bowl of soup.

I offer this recipe from way back -- from our old neighbor's mother-in-law:

Mrs. O'Brien, the mother-in-law of our former neighbor, was a sweet old woman who made this extraordinary soup, which we adopted to our family repertoire.  We remember her fondly for sharing this recipe with us.

To 6 cups of boiling turkey stock (either canned or made from the carcass or your Thanksgiving bird), add 1/2 of a medium green cabbage, thinly sliced, and (believe it or not), 1/2 c oatmeal.  Let simmer gently for about 10 minutes, until the cabbage is cooked and the oatmeal has thickened the broth.

Serve piping hot.  The slight thickening of the oatmeal with the sweetness of the just-cooked cabbage makes this a hearty and satisfying soup.

I recently made a pot with the large amount of turkey stock I had from Thanksgiving.  I first sauteed and onion in some oil and butter, added the cabbage, and sauteed that a bit, too.  I then added the stock, brought it to a simmer, and then added the oatmeal.  This soup gets better and better on the 2nd and 3rd day, so make it ahead.  Serve it with hot pepper flakes and some grated Romano cheese. 

The soup is equally delicious with green cabbage or Savoy cabbage (the wrinkled-leaf variety).